‘Together as a team’: Torquay SES volunteers here for the community

Victoria State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers respond to more than 33,000 requests a year and for those made in Torquay, there is a chance Neil Clendenning might attend.

With over a decade of service experience, the Torquay SES section leader is one of the regions most respected volunteers.

It was a desire to connect with his community that first led him to pull on the orange uniform.

“I wanted to meet more people and help the community that we’re living in, and that’s what we do,” Clendenning said.

Clendenning said there is no one type of person who volunteers with the SES, having seen people from all walks of life come through the unit’s doors.

No matter their age or occupation, they are put through vigorous training, a program he oversees.

With a new cohort of volunteers joining the Torquay unit over the past six months, Clendenning is helping prepare them for a broad range of callouts.

“We respond to trees down across roads and when there’s a lot of rain and people’s houses get leaky roofs, we actually have to clamber up on their roofs and fix the roof board,” he said.

“There is road crash rescue and we also do a lot of land searches with Victoria Police.

“We all work together as a team; that’s how the SES is built.”

Mark Hanna joined the unit in October after looking for a volunteer role that aligned with his interests and experience.

Having previously worked in search and rescue, joining the SES felt like a natural fit.

A government worker, Hanna said the support he had received to volunteer with an emergency service organisation had been fantastic.

“I felt it was a good match for my interests and my skills,” Hanna said.

“I’ve always volunteered within my life in different forms and I thought that this was a way I could give back to community.”

Hanna said there were plenty of rewarding moments while volunteering, particularly knowing they were helping people in need during difficult situations.

Encouraging others to consider volunteering, he said availability was key, with training provided after a simple online registration of interest.

“People can take on what they’re comfortable with,” Hanna said.

“You’re not always exposed to the extreme, you could be involved in traffic management, radios, general support.”

As for the Torquay crew, he said they have been nothing but welcoming to him and other new recruits.

“Everyone’s super friendly, there’s a lot of experience, there’s people going back 40 years,” Hanna said.

“Torquay would have looked very different 40 years ago. It would have been two to three thousand people around and a lot of paddocks.

“Now we have four vehicles and a pretty well regimented, supportive and friendly crew.”

On Wednesday, Victorians were encouraged to pull on something orange as part of the annual Wear Orange Wednesday campaign, recognising the thousands of SES volunteers who support communities across the state.

Clendenning said SES volunteers were simply motivated by helping others when they needed it most.

“People don’t really expect to get pats on the back, but it’s good to be acknowledged that we do try and help everybody else,” he said.

“It’s a good feeling.”